


The years between

by DefaultJane



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse), Hunniper
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-23 03:41:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9639305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DefaultJane/pseuds/DefaultJane
Summary: Ingrid Hunnigan is probably the only person on the planet who would forget her own birthday. Fortunately for her, Helena is there to remind her.





	

* * *

Happy Valentine’s day (Jill Valentine sold separately as a DLC)!

_The art, the original idea, and the overall inspiration by none other than the ever amazing captain **[Fishy](http://archiveofourown.org/users/fishbone76/profile)** , I don’t know how she does it nor do I know how I’d do this without her (since she is the one and only person to blame for introcuding the glory of Hunniper to me in the first place)._

* * *

 

__

* * *

 

Days like these, Hunnigan hated her job and swore she’d quit tomorrow. An idle threat she’d made more than she cared to admit, because she genuinely didn’t have the heart to abandon her agents to the care of anyone else; whoever would replace her would undoubtedly get it all wrong. Not that it would be her problem at that point, but after a decade of doing what she did at the D.S.O., she couldn’t imagine herself in a regular nine-to-five... or what that regular nine-to-five would even be; as wide as her skillset was, there weren’t a lot of jobs that she would’ve been able to use them for. Not ones that she’d genuinely wanted to do anyway.

For a while she’d considered getting her teaching license, but volunteering to teach a basic computer course for the elderly (and to those who’d never had the opportunity or the desire to learn their way around computers) had quickly made her realize she didn’t have the patience for it. People liked to think that those who can’t, teach, but in Hunnigan’s case, it was in reverse; she was more than capable herself, but she couldn’t teach someone else to be.

Hunnigan pushed her glasses to her forehead and leaned her elbows to her desk, burying her face into her palm, sighing deeply. She loved Leon dearly, but that man’s penmanship sucked big hairy balls when it came to writing reports, which in return meant Hunnigan had to rewrite most of them, comparing his statements with the actual timelines she herself had compiled from other incident reports. It didn’t usually require quite this much work, but the recent incident was of a bit higher priority than the average. After all, this case involved the President being infected and shot which meant everyone wanted to know how the hell had that been allowed to happen in the first place. It had been over a couple of months since the incident now, but the political shitstorm was just getting started.

“I heard that drinking at your desk while working late is the new happy hour,” a familiar, soft female voice stated and Hunnigan sat up straight, turning to look at Helena, who stood in the entrance, leaning to the door frame casually.

“New? As far as I’m concerned, that’s the only happy hour there is,” she jested back and quirked an eyebrow at the little inside joke; Helena knew that Hunnigan didn’t drink, seeing her enjoying a happy hour anywhere wasn’t likely to happen.

“It’s almost seven P.M., what are you doing here?” Hunnigan then frowned and stood up, circling her desk and walked over to the younger woman, mirroring her pose as she paused to stand at the door.  
“I could ask you the same thing.”

“I work here.”  
“More like you live here,” Helena commented and Hunnigan nodded a little. She had been known to use the napping cot that was usually occupied only by the exhausted field agents pulling 20-hour shifts. It hardly ever occurred to anyone that desk jockeys’ office hours could stretch to similar lengths.

“I came to get you home, the children barely remember what you look like anymore,” Helena jested dramatically. Hunnigan chuckled a little and reached to tuck her fingers underneath Helena’s belt and tugged on the younger woman a little. She then paused and frowned when she noticed the way Helena was standing, her arm in a slightly awkward position.

“What are you hiding behind your back?”  
“Just a lil’ sumthin’-sumthin’ for a special occasion,” Helena grinned and pulled out a bouquet of red roses.

“What occasion?” Hunnigan asked as she accepted the flowers and Helena laughed softly.  
“You’re the only person I know who would forget her own birthday,” she said and wrapped her arm around Hunnigan’s waist, leaning into her and pressed a gentle kiss onto Hunnigan’s lips.

“Well, in my defense, I don’t even know when my birthday is exactly,” the older woman commented after breaking the kiss, and Helena nodded with a smile. In all Hunnigan’s official documents, it said her birthday was September 1st, but that was a date a random pediatrician had once upon a time picked for her after approximating her age down to a month.

“Look on the bright side, instead of a simple birthday you have an entire birthmonth, _and_ being adopted means you know for certain that your parents definitely wanted you,” Helena offered with a shrug.  
“A decision I’m sure I made them regret when I hit my teens,” Hunnigan interjected.

“Yeah, but making your parents regret having you is what teenage is all about anyway,” Helena winked.  
“You know, I’m sure you’re probably the only person in the world who can find the silver lining of me being abandoned at a fire department as a baby. Well, other than the obvious silver lining which would be that at least I didn’t end up just getting thrown away with the trash...” Hunnigan trailed off and Helena leaned to silence the possible further grim ponderings with a soft kiss.

“I’m glad to see my cynical appearance works hiding my superpower of being ever so positive on the inside,” Helena then said somewhat sarcastically as she slowly pulled away from the kiss.  
“The most convicing disguise I’ve ever seen,” Hunnigan nodded in agreement and they both chuckled at that before finally turning to leave the office for the night.

* * *

 

Hunnigan was the most difficult person to shop for. She wasn’t the kind of a woman who enjoyed grand romantic gestures either (those just made her feel awkward), so quoting poetry or making a playlist of love songs would be a wasted effort too. Not that Helena would’ve actually done either because frankly, the mere thought of doing that made her kind of uncomfortable too. Instead, Hunnigan preferred practical gifts, but the problem with that was... she already had everything she needed.

Rather than buying a bunch of things Hunnigan would probably have no use for, Helena decided she’d give her the one thing the other woman desperately needed; an evening of rest and relaxation. Convincing Hunnigan to put the damn laptop down was a battle on its own though.

“No, wait! Wait!” Hunnigan complained when Helena reached to grab the machine from her.

“At least let me save first,” she requested and instead of handing the computer back to her, Helena held it up just enough for Hunnigan to hit the shortcut to save, nothing more. Helena then abadoned the computer into an armchair and held out her hand. Hunnigan sighed a little and reached her arm out, gripping Helena’s wrist and allowed herself to be pulled up from the chair.

Helena slowly slid her hands up along Hunnigan’s sides, pausing for a mere second to subtly cup her breasts before bringing her hands higher and beginning to unbutton Hunnigan’s shirt. Once she was done with them, she pushed it off of her shoulders and in a single, effortless pinch undid Hunnigan’s bra.

“Is there a reason you’re undressing me?”  
“Do I really need one?” Helena shrugged innocently as her hands wandered to undo the button and the zipper of Hunnigan’s skirt.

“Well, no, not necessarily,” she agreed with a smile as the rest of her clothing ended up on the floor. She was about to begin returning the favor when Helena stopped her by gently gripping her wrists. Hunnigan quirked an eyebrow, but didn’t have a chance to question it further before Helena softly nudged her a little to encourage her to move.

She guided Hunnigan to the bathroom, the space illuminated only by the soft glow from the candles Helena had lit a while ago. Light swirls of steam rose from the warm water that filled the tub.

“Get in before it gets cold.”  
“Aren’t you going to join me?” Hunnigan frowned.

“Normally, I would, but I have some things I need to set up, like put your bathrobe into the dryer so that it’ll be all nice and soft and warm for you when you get out from the tub,” Helena winked and Hunnigan narrowed her eyes a little, but smiled then.

“You’ve thought of everything.”  
“I have my moments,” Helena shrugged smugly, “So, you just relax for at least an hour, preferably longer.”

“Now I’m wondering what it is that you’re up to if you need that long to get ready.”  
“It’s not about me needing time to get ready, it’s about me wanting to make sure you actually just stop and do nothing for once,” Helena rolled her eyes and leaned to pre-emptively silence Hunnigan’s possible arguments with a gentle kiss.

* * *

“This is amazing! I’ve got more volume than Leon!” Hunnigan proclaimed when she emerged from the bathroom, still in her robe, sans the towel turban that had become obsolete when Helena had given her the present she’d gotten for Hunnigan, namely a new blow dryer to replace the old one she’d adamantly refused to get rid of despite it being anything but user friendly since it nowadays only had one speed (full) and one temperature (hellfire).

“Who do you think recommended that particular brand and model?” Helena chuckled.  
“Remind me to thank him too,” Hunnigan grinned and shook her head a little, the long dark brown locks framing her face and cascading over her shoulders.

“You should wear your hair open more often,” Helena exhaled dreamily.  
“In this humidity? I don’t think so. Frankly, sometimes I’m tempted to just shave my head even on the drier days.”

“You wouldn’t!”  
“You never know,” Hunnigan teased in a sing-songy-voice.

“If you shave your head, I’m getting a breast reduction,” Helena narrowed her eyes.  
“You wouldn’t!”

“You never know.”  
“At least my hair would grow back.”

“I’m nothing but a nice pair of boobs to you, aren’t I?” Helena pretended to pout and sniffle a little.  
“What can I say, I have mommy issues and I obviously wasn’t breastfed,” Hunnigan poked her tongue out at the younger woman and she burst out laughing.

“You’re terrible!”  
“I know,” Hunnigan agreed proudly.

“All right, all right, let’s just agree not to go there, and move on to part two of your birthday pampering,” Helena then said and tugged on Hunnigan, beginning to lead the way into the bedroom.  
“Ooh, am I getting-”

“A massage,” Helena interjected.  
“...that was my second guess,” Hunnigan said in fake innocense and leaned to softly nip at the younger woman’s earlobe. As tempting as a massage sounded like, she was willing to sacrifice it for something even more intimate.

“And people say I’m the prude,” Hunnigan smirked and Helena scoffed amusedly. Granted, had she been left to judge a book by its cover, she too would’ve rather thought that than ever even stop to think that Hunnigan... well, to say she was a passionate lover was the elegant way to put it, even if putting it like that didn’t quite do her justice.

She wasn’t a prude, but the wasn’t the type who’d just give herself away to anyone who wanted to take her home. Of course, to the people whose advances she’d shot down had quickly gone on to label her as the cat lady who apparently was on a mission to regain her virginity (had she ever lost in the first place), because thinking like that was easier on the ego than having to accept that someone you considered to be easily in your league, turned you down.

She was out of their league because she carried the quiet confidence of a woman who knew what she was worth and didn’t need to loudly proclaim that to anyone who’d listen. The advances from those who approached her with an attitude that clearly said they felt like they were doing her a big favor, that she should be flattered, amused her often to the point of her being barely able to keep herself from laughing to their face. Contrary to the popular belief, she’d never been lonely, let alone had she ever needed help getting a date; she hadn’t wanted one. Pretty big difference.

But then, Helena had shown up, and she’d stuck around despite the fact that Hunnigan had made her wait what a lot of people would’ve considered an entirely unreasonable amount of time. She hadn’t minded the wait because simply bedding Hunnigan had not been the endgame, she’d wanted something much beyond that. Something as trivial as casual sex was easy (especially to a twenty-something with the looks and figure that turned heads and caused the occasional awkward boner), so easy it got boring very quickly because there was absolutely no challenge in it. There were the first-time-jitters that could be exciting, but in the long run, even those tended to end up in bitter disappointments when the reality didn’t live up to whatever Helena had expected and wanted, even when her desires hadn’t been the unrealistic kind.

Hunnigan had made her wait. That had allowed Helena a lot of time to build up expectations (a little thing which could’ve backfired easily), but what the long wait also did was give her time to actually fall in love with Hunnigan before anything beyond kissing occurred. Helena was the first to admit just how corny it was, but she didn’t care, because it also was the truth; the fact that they loved each other made all the difference in the world.

“Such impatience from the woman who made me wait for over half a year before allowing me anywhere near the bedroom for the first time,” Helena smirked and teasingly dodged the attempted nibble on her ear. Hunnigan growled at her a little.

“Well, in my defense, I had to make sure you weren’t in it just to get the job,” she quirked an eyebrow and slowly shrugged the bathrobe off before hanging it on the door.

“We’ve already established that when I first said hi and ran away giggling, I had no idea you were one of the people who had a say in where I’d end up working at,” Helena reminded, and it was the truth.

“I believe you because, oh boy, was your face red when you walked into the interview a couple of days after,” Hunnigan laughed a little as she settled to lie on her stomach on the bed, tucking a pillow underneath her chin for support.

“Hey, at least I made a lasting impression,” Helena commented smugly.  
“That’s true, but I don’t think I would’ve called you afterward regardless of that,” Hunnigan mumbled into the pillow as Helena moved to straddle her and reached for the oil.

“Oh, now that hurts my feelings,” she smirked, rubbed a generous amount of the oil into her hands and leaned forward then, pressing her palms onto Hunnigan’s shoulders and sliding them down along her back, oiling her skin thoroughly.

Helena _had_ literally gone to Hunnigan, said hi, handed her a slip of paper with her number on it and then ran away giggling... but only because she’d been drunk and because Deborah had dared her to. They’d been celebrating her new job prospect and as they’d stood on the subway platform waiting for their train, Helena had noticed Hunnigan. Helena had wasted no time commenting to Deborah that she wouldn’t have minded cutting that cake, after which the younger sister had dared her to actually do something for once instead of just talking big.

“Look at it from my perspective, how would you react if a random kid did that to you?”  
“Kid!” Helena scoffed.

“Well, someone obviously younger, in your case a fourteen year old if we go by our age difference,” Hunnigan reasoned before letting out an approving hum when Helena’s fingers dug into the tense muscles of her neck and shoulders.

“Gah, when you put it like _that_...” Helena scoffed, the eyeroll accompanying her words practically audible in her voice.  
“It _is_ like _that,_ I _am_ about a decade older than you... even if I don’t know when my birthday is exactly,” Hunnigan muttered.

“But I’m not fourteen, so who cares,” Helena dismissed and ran her hands down along the sides of Hunnigan’s shoulder blades, all the way to her lower back before bringing them up again in a long stroke.

 _I do when I think of the fact that you were still learning how to read when I was already graduating from high school,_ Hunnigan mused. Granted, she’d skipped two grades, but the fact still remained.

Hunnigan did spend less time trying to figure it out nowadays but she would’ve been lying if she had said she didn’t wonder what it was about Helena that was enough to make Hunnigan break every single one of her own rules. Sure, Helena was confident, talented, possessed a dry sense of humor that really appealed to Hunnigan, and on top of all that, she was a joy to behold. But those same things could be said of a handful of other people Hunnigan knew, yet she’d never even been tempted prior to Helena.

Truthfully, Hunnigan hadn’t been joking when she’d said she wouldn’t have called Helena after their initial encounter. Helena was too young, fundamentally too different even for the whole “opposites attract”-trope (partly due to her age, to be honest), she was too impulsive, and still, somehow, she was... perfect. It defied everything that made sense to Hunnigan and even though she’d slowly learned not to try and find some logic in it all, it was like a splinter in her mind that she couldn’t quite get rid of.

“Either you fell asleep or you’re over analyzing something that was just said,” Helena broke the long silence, steadily and softly kneading Hunnigan’s back.

“Yes, I’m asleep,” Hunnigan commented with a smile, her answer telling Helena she didn’t want to talk about what she’d really been thinking of, and Helena understood it. In the little over two years that they’d been together, Helena had paid attention, she’d listened, noted certain words and gestures and their combinations, and that had granted her the ability to read Hunnigan well enough to know when she should leave a subject be.

“Well, isn’t that a shame,” Helena murmured, leaning over Hunnigan and beginning to slowly pepper the back of her neck with small kisses, “Isn’t that a damn shame,” she smirked, shifting her weight onto her right arm while her left hand was busy gliding down along the oiled skin.

“...I’m sure I could forgive you for waking me and you could convince me to stay up past my bed time, though,” Hunnigan suggested huskily and began to slowly turn to lie on her back.

“Mmm, well, I am pretty good at making compelling arguments,” Helena smiled sweetly as she settled her hips between Hunnigan’s thighs and leaned to kiss the other woman’s lips lightly at first, then interlocking them with more passion and gentle pressure.

* * *

“Okay, since you brought it up earlier... let me just say that if I were older, I bet I wouldn’t be able to keep up with you, I’m barely making it as it is,” Helena exhaled deeply as she lay on her back, her skin still glistening with sweat.

“You flatter me,” Hunnigan smirked, the little eyeroll accompanying her words indicating she didn’t quite believe the younger woman’s statement.  
“That’s not flattery, it’s a fact,” Helena said, “...and my ears are ringing,” she then added in a mutter.

“Now, that’s a compliment,” Hunnigan laughed softly, kissed Helena’s lips and began to get out of bed.  
“Where are you going? You know the rules, no one is authorized to leave the bed until we get past the being sticky-part,” Helena complained.

“I need water, dehydration can be dangerous to us elderly,” Hunnigan poked her tongue out and stood up.  
“Oh, for Christ’s sakes, Hunnigan, you’re thirty-four, that’s not even middle aged yet,” Helena called out after her before deciding to roll out of bed as well. As much as she would’ve preferred just staying put, the sheets desperately needed changing.

“Presumably thirty-four,” Hunnigan responded teasingly, “I don’t mind growing old as long as you stay with me even when I’m old and feeble,” she then commented as she returned with her drink and paused by the bed while Helena obsessed over the sheet. She knew better than to bother offering assistance, Helena would just redo everything because clearly, if it wasn’t done exactly like she would’ve done it, it wasn’t done right. A sentiment Hunnigan could easily understand and lived by herself in various other areas of life.

“I will, but fair warning, I will not change adult diapers,” Helena taunted.  
“Which is fine, as long as you hire a hot nurse to do it,” Hunnigan countered with a grin.

“Maybe an adorable gay guy.”  
“Now you’re just being mean.”

Once back in bed, Helena turned to lie on her side and reached to gently grip Hunnigan’s hip, pulling her closer. Hunnigan shifted toward her and rested her leg on Helena’s thigh, wrapping her arm around the younger woman’s body and rested her forehead against hers.

“Can I be serious for a while?” Helena asked quietly.  
“I don’t know, can you?” Hunnigan smirked and Helena scoffed amusedly.

“I realized I never thanked you.”  
“For what?” Hunnigan frowned.

“For saving my life. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve gotten the needle.”  
“You’re welcome. You can pay me back by hiring that hot nurse when I’m pushing ninety and incontinent,” Hunnigan commented, refusing to get into a serious discussion about it, because frankly, the subject was more than unpleasant.

She’d been very aware of the consequences Helena would’ve had to face had she been found guilty. She’d spent weeks doing everything in her power to keep that from happening and hiding the fact that she’d been downright terrified because she’d had no way of telling how it would all end.

“Hunnigan...”  
“I really don’t want to talk about it, it’s over. You owe me nothing in return because what I did was for myself too. The idea of losing you... I don’t want to think about it,” she dismissed, shaking her head a little.

“Well, then you’re lucky that I have no intention of going anywhere,” Helena said softly and smiled, leaning to kiss Hunnigan slowly and gently, pressing herself even closer to her, not wanting to miss a second or an inch of contact with the other woman’s skin.

“Good, because I’m not above tying you down if you try to leave,” Hunnigan teased and Helena inhaled sharply.  
“Now there’s something we haven’t done before. Will you spank me too?” she grinned.

“Maybe for your birthday, but for now... how about we get some rest?”  
“I like that idea. And you know what I’d really want to do tomorrow?” Helena inquired softly and brought her hand to softly stroke Hunnigan’s cheek.

“Dress up like homeless people and go to one of those pretentious and ridiculously expensive stores and have the clerks cringe at the sight of us because they assume we can’t afford to buy anything, and then buy the most expensive thing we can find and stand there judging the clerk, like yeah, you only work here, I can afford to shop here,” Hunnigan presented her idea and Helena stared at her with her mouth slightly open, blinking slowly.

“Uh, no, but that actually does sound like a lot of fun,” she laughed then.  
“Okay, so what did you have in mind?”

“I’d want to spend the entire day in bed with the woman I’m gonna marry.”  
“Oh, that lucky bitch,” Hunnigan scoffed with a smile.

“Well, it’s her birthday, I’d like to pamper her.”

Hunnigan chuckled softly and leaned to give Helena a long, slow kiss. They both knew they wouldn’t be spending the day together, not in bed nor trolling snobbish store clerks because Helena was scheduled to be deployed in the morning. Protective detail, a simple lift, at least on paper. The travel back and forth alone would take a day and a half easily, it was safe to say Helena wouldn’t be back in three days, possibly more.

“I hate having to let you go. And yes, I know, I’m the one who coordinates your missions, I could just have you deployed only domestically... and then get in trouble with the other agents for my obvious favoritism...”

“Regretting having me reassigned to she D.S.O. already?” Helena teased and Hunnigan smiled, shaking her head a little.

“No, because in my strictly professional opinion, you are an excellent agent, and that makes my job a lot easier,” she grinned.  
“For what it’s worth, I hate having to leave. But, you know... coming home to you always makes up for it. Not to mention the old saying about absence making the heart grow fonder, maybe if I stay away for a month you’ll finally say yes when I ask you to marry me the twenty-third time.”

“I’m flattered, I’m sure anyone else would’ve stopped after lucky number thirteen.”  
“You know me, I never knew when to quit.”

“I know, and I love you for it,” Hunnigan whispered and nuzzled into Helena’s neck, snuggling as close to the younger woman as she could and closed her eyes, feeling safe and sound, and at ease in her lover’s arms.

* * *

 

Helena had already left to catch her flight when Hunnigan woke up the next morning. She smiled when she noticed the younger woman had left her T-shirt on her side of the bed, neatly folded. Hunnigan draped it over her pillow and hugged it to her chest, inhaling Helena’s scent deeply. A subtle hint of grape fruit of her cologne combined with and undertone of musk, a scent Hunnigan would’ve recognized anywhere. After indulging for a moment, Hunnigan finally got out of bed and scuffed into the kitchen, dressing in Helena’s T-shirt as she went.

She wasn’t surprised to see Helena had left the coffee maker loaded for her before leaving. It was these little things that she’d grown to appreciate and love about living with Helena; little things she hadn’t even realized she would’ve liked until Helena had come into her life and done them for her. Sometimes they were just ordinary everyday things, sometimes they were little romantic gestures Hunnigan hadn’t really cared for before. Hunnigan switched the coffee maker on and went to grab her laptop, intending to check her emails while waiting for the hot beverage to brew.

When she got to the living room, she frowned at the box and the note set ontop of her computer. She inhaled deeply and squared her shoulders before reaching for it, almost as if expecting the tiny box come to life and bite her fingers off when she touched it. Inside was a platinum ring that had a vine design running in the center, the precious stones set in the twists. Not extravagant nor excessive, just elegant in its simplicity, just like Helena well knew Hunnigan would prefer it.

“I never met a more impossible woman,” Hunnigan muttered with a smirk as she closed the box. Helena really had brought up the subject of marriage several times (perhaps not exactly twenty-three times like she’d said last night), and each time, Hunnigan had turned her down.

Partly because she hadn’t honestly been able to bring herself to take Helena completely seriously, and partly because she didn’t see the point of getting married. At best, it would just make breaking up involve paperwork, and who the hell needed that?

“Wow, why am I so cynical and pessimistic?” Hunnigan then asked herself out loud when the thought took her by surprise.

“...probably because on some level I still insist that Helena is just a pup,” she answered her own question, pursing her lips as she thought about it further. Helena wasn’t a pup, but she felt like one whenever Hunnigan paused to consider their age difference. A ridiculous little thing that still somehow made all the difference.

Pushing her insecurities aside, Hunnigan reached for the note. She smiled and scoffed amusedly at the words. Helena really did know her probably better than she knew herself, because what she’d written was the perfect argument to Hunnigan’s doubts, like she’d known exactly where Hunnigan’s mind would go to in this moment.

“You and your compelling arguments,” Hunnigan whispered with a smile.

The coffee maker gurgled in the kitchen and Hunnigan grabbed her laptop, the note, and the box with the ring in it. She wouldn’t try it on, not today; maybe once Helena got back. Hunnigan poured herself coffee, took a seat at the kitchen table and read the note again, aware of the smitten smile on her lips. Best birthday ever.

_The years between us don’t matter because I intend to spend my remaining ones with you anyway. I love you to hell and back._

_Happy birthday, Ingrid._

 

* * *

view in full size at [Fishy's DeviantArt gallery.](http://fishbone76.deviantart.com/art/bliss-654724978)

 


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